Present: Peter, Tricia, Heather, Liz, Keith, Alan

Apologies: Nathan, Sarah, Simona

Future WWC Event:

The Working Group – Liz, Simona, Tricia and Heather – had for a variety of reasons been unable to meet, but had summarised some basic points for members to consider and comment on:

  1. It would make sense to concentrate on one event at this stage rather than be over-ambitious and try to arrange a rolling programme.
  2. We should look at including prose as well as poetry, but would need to have regard to the length of pieces showcased. Flash fiction or short non-fiction pieces would work well.
  3. Timing. With Easter, holidays, etc, to be factored in, it looks as if April/May would be appropriate. We also need to think about which day might work best for members.
  4. Venue. The Working Group came up with two possibilities: Lionsheart Bookshop, town centre, Woking, or the Fiery Bird Centre, Goldsworth Road, Woking. Liz will liaise with Lionsheart Bookshop, having already established very positive links with this venue, and Heather will contact Elaine McGinty at the Fiery Bird, with a view to finding out costs and availability. (Woking Write Out Loud (open mic poetry group) meet monthly at the Fiery Bird where there is a large free car park.)

Would members please consider the above proposals and email their comments by the end of February? It would be helpful if you could email your thoughts to all members of the Working Group, who will then summarise views in readiness for the March WWC meeting. Thank you!

Collaborative Poetry Events at Lionsheart Bookshop

Meanwhile, Liz and Keith have been blazing a poetry trail at the Bookshop on the last Saturday of the month. Jack at the Bookshop is happy for poets to come along and read in the first half of the evening. Liz has spoken about the warmth (in every sense!) of the venue and the availability of food and drinks.

Merrist Wood Event

Possibility of a WWC Table at Merrist Wood, 31st May, 1st June. The cost of having a table would be £100. Published authors could sell books. It would be useful to know what interest there might be in this venture. One possibility might be to join with the Bookshop or Write Out Loud.

News

Liz advised that the Book Group’s current book was Monsignor Quixote by Graham Greene.

Readings

Tricia’s poem, Decution, beautifully conveyed the frustration and information overload experienced when dealing with technology. Clever use was made of shadows, which in the opening line are thought to be hiding things, preventing the user seeing what’s really going on. By the last line, the shadow is creeping, conveying fear and loss of control. Tricia had made up the title word, a close relative of ‘unnoticed’.

Keith had the group amused and delighted by the first part of his factual account, My First Visit to Ireland. The pleasure was intensified by Keith’s spirited rendition of the Irish accent. The second half of the account was read after the break and this worked well because Keith had deliberately paused on a note of suspense. Everyone enjoyed the piece with its sustained and warm humour.

Peter reading was interesting because it was very much the early stage of a piece of work, quite probably a poem. The Ten Ages of Man was a gathering of ideas, Peter feeling that now we’re living longer, we need to think in terms of 10 ages rather than Shakespeare’s 7. Each ‘age’ gathered round it the things associated with knowing things, the view taken of life and other people’s attitudes towards you in a fresh, convincing way without trotting out the usual platitudes. There was some thought that as well as one complete poem, there could be interesting possibilities in developing some individual aspects of the journey through life.

Heather read two poems, both of which departed from her normal style as they incorporated rhyme. The first, The Church Tea Room, endeavoured to capture the ‘almost holy’ atmosphere of a tea room attached to a church. The second, ABBA’s Avatars, related the somewhat bizarre experience of going to this event with a former work colleague in the early stages of dementia, and the contrast between how serious they used to be and how they were savouring the drops of magic still available in later life. Keith thought she might have over-rhymed in the second poem, but both poems were enjoyed.

Alan’s story, Inside Job, was greatly enjoyed by everyone. There were some illuminating descriptions, such as ‘…a soulful redhead, her lustrous curls tumbling into a lacy cleavage.’   The piece had all the glorious Alan ‘trademarks’ of ‘a Dickensian way with words’ (thank you, Tricia!), wonderful names – ‘Oxenthorpe Truss University’ and an ending which didn’t so much surprise as make his listeners gasp – even while they were laughing. A triumph.

Liz produced 2 poems, each taking a photograph as its inspiration. The first, Napalm Girl, portrayed a girl running from the grimness of war in 1972, her clothes burning on her back, running towards the camera. The second, Gaza Girl, related to the current war and showed another victim. Her pain would feature in papers across the world the following day. Liz had adopted a spare, powerful style, writing in the first person as the child in each case and voicing no judgement. It was agreed that Liz had developed her skills and applied just enough crafting to the writing to strengthen the message. There was some discussion around the validity of writing about things outside the writer’s experience and about the techniques employed.

Next Meeting: Thursday, 21st March at 7.30pm

Chair: Heather

Minutes: Alan

Wine and biscuits: Keith

Milk: Tricia

Homework: Equinox